Missouri House Passes Bill to Overturn Puppy Mill Vote, Issue Now Goes to Governor

Apr 13, 2011 at 3:13 pm
An interested party reacts to the news.
An interested party reacts to the news.
The Missouri House this afternoon passed by a margin of 85 to 71 a bill that would overturn many of the regulations for dog breeders that state voters approved last year.

A similar bill, SB113, passed the Senate earlier this year. The legislation gets rid of the limits that were to be put in place this August following the close passage in November of the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act. The new bill would strip provisions of the prevention act that limited dog breeders to owning no more than 50 breeding animals and required that the canines have ample room to move in their cages.

Now organizers of the November ballot issue say they'll coordinate another petition drive should Governor Jay Nixon sign the law.

"The House decided to defy the will of the voters and dismantle Proposition B piece by piece, dealing a blow to dogs suffering in substandard facilities and also to the democratic process in Missouri," said Barbara Schmitz of Missourians for the Protection of Dogs in a statement today. "Not only did some lawmakers choose to overturn a statewide vote, but some of them even voted against their districts. It is now up to Governor Jay Nixon to stop this assault on voting rights. If the repeal bill is enacted, we are prepared to immediately begin gathering signatures for a referendum to bring this issue back to Missouri voters and allow the people to have the final say."

More information and reaction to the bill here.